With many Americans paying close attention to the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries, it’s important to point out the disparity between the media coverage and the support a candidate actually receives. In addition, large media outlets conduct many of the polls in the primaries, and thus get to essentially decide who is even allowed on stage for the debates.
The media’s control of the narrative presented to voters gives them a powerful influence over the outcome of the primaries, and isn’t necessarily representative of public support, all while making it more difficult for many candidates to gain traction and popularity.
“The Democratic Party has tied entrance into the debates to poll numbers. That is an area where the media has a pretty influential take on who gets to appear on stage and who doesn’t… If you don’t have a certain polling number you can’t even appear on stage,” stated East civics and economics teacher Brian Link.
Link went on to say that “a fair, free, vigorous press that has to compete in the larger marketplace is the backbone of democracy,” and that “the larger danger to our society is the concentration of media so that … five major outlets control 90 percent of the information.”
As of January to late August this year, former Vice President Joe Biden had by far the most total mentions across the top three media outlets (Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN). Biden is followed by Senator Kamala Harris, with less than half of the mentions that he received.
Sen. Harris has more mentions than Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has several thousand more mentions than Sen. Elizabeth Warren, according to data from the Internet Archive’s Television News Archive as processed by the GDELT Project.
In examining Biden as a candidate, his policy positions are primarily rolling back changes made during the Trump administration. Among candidates polling in the double digits, he is generally considered to be the centrist option, as he doesn’t provide many new or innovative ideals not already present in the party.
Looking at all mentions made by online news outlets of each candidate, not just the large top three outlets, the results are quite different.
While Biden receives more coverage from larger media outlets, Sanders and Warren receive nearly equal numbers of mentions as Biden from online media outlets, with Harris not far behind.
“Biden as former VP and primary front-runner has a built-in media advantage. That’s just a reality… he’s clearly going to have the most coverage,” N.C. house representative Graig Meyer, of the 50th District, some of which encompasses Chapel Hill, wrote in an email.
“Media is not a meritocracy.,” continued Rep. Meyer. “All political candidates know that you have to actively work to cultivate media coverage. Being able to do so is one thing that an effective campaign has to accomplish. And honestly, if you can’t draw media attention you might not have what it takes to be President.”
Yet there is a large disparity between Sen. Warren’s high polling and relatively low coverage, especially when compared to other candidates,. She received about two thirds of the coverage that Kamala Harris received, yet it’s Warren who is in a virtual tie for first in the polls.
Andrew Yang received a fraction of the mentions across the three large media platforms that Sen. Cory Booker and Representative Beto O’Rourke received, despite Yang polling at or above both Sen. Booker and Rep. O’Rourke.
Jeff Weaver, a major Sanders adviser who managed his 2016 presidential run, offers a different view. According to David Weigel of the Washington Post, Weaver says there is “an evident and conscious bias taking place in the media. There seems to be a direct correlation between the media’s coverage of polls and Bernie Sanders’s specific standing in those polls.”
Weaver reportedly said in a conference call with press members, “The better the number is in the poll, the less coverage he’s received, and the worse he does, the more he receives.”
When national polls of preferred candidates are examined, Biden has a slight lead at first, with Warren close at second, Sanders solidly in third and Harris at fourth. A string of recent polls actually show Warren leading Biden by several points, but an average of all polls has Biden clinging to a small lead. This challenges the assertion of Biden as the clear front runner in the primaries.
Compare those numbers to the media coverage that each candidate received, and the disparities become apparent.
On the other hand, candidates such as Sanders or Warren are introducing what are widely considered to be more leftist, populist and anti-establishment policies, and do so routinely.
Online news mentions, which are not limited by air time or ulterior motives, could be more representative of a candidate’s support, as online mentions correspond more accurately with national polling. However, the demographic of who has an online voice is definitely a far cry from accurately representing the U.S. electorate.
Large media outlets have an incredible amount of influence over the American electorate, and by inaccurately promoting one candidate over another, they can majorly impact the primaries.
“We need media to have some standards for creating level coverage of political parties and candidates,” said Rep. Meyer, “I do think there is a danger to democracy when major media becomes as siloed as CNN or MSNBC.”
